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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. rule — a law
  3. spell — magic
  4. key — the most important part
  5. net — in sport
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — after costs
  9. key — for a lock
  10. tube — a container
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. rule — government
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. tube — the underground
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. spell — letters
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. spell — a short time
  24. key — in music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com